The U.S. Navy was also on the Rhine.* Along with the Royal Navy, the U.S. overland fleet had hundreds of vessels in action.† For months, on U.S. and United Kingdom streams, Navy crewmen had practiced a trick new to themmaneuvering their cumbersome, 50-ft.-long, 14-ft.-beamed LCMs (Landing Craft, Mechanized) in swift river currents. For weeks, in Belgium, khaki-clad, Army-helmeted sailors had worked like hairy-eared engineers to get the 26-ton LCMs and the 36-ft.-long LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicles, Personnel) safely transported over shaky bridges and damaged roads, through narrow village streets, to hiding places near the Rhine.
Among the U.S. crews were many veterans...
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